Bad Luck
by notcrindy
Summary: When Phandalin goes up in flames practically overnight, world-famous detective Angus McDonald is on the case. But what to do with its lone survivor? One elven little boy and his umbrella may just hold all the answers... and prove to be Angus's greatest unsolved mystery yet. One thing's for sure: it's bad luck to open an umbrella indoors. An "Adventure Zone" AU.
1. Prologue

His name is Taako, and he has an umbrella.

It's a little weird that he has it because it's not raining. He may not remember where he got it from, but he's not stupid; he knows you open an umbrella in the rain and you hold it over your head because it keeps you dry. Having an umbrella when it's not raining doesn't make sense, but it doesn't matter. It's bright red and when he opens it up it's bigger than the size of his head and he has a little trouble holding it up.

That's what he knows.

What he doesn't know is a lot more. He doesn't remember where he got the umbrella, but it's even weirder and worse not to remember what came before that. He takes cautious glances around him and tries to figure it out, eyes darting back and forth, but there aren't even any buildings. When he looks down at his feet, he sees an elven boy blinking back at him and knows it's his own reflection. Things are so uncertain, but that's a welcome sight.

The black and shiny surface of the floor below isn't. He doesn't remember his feet ever touching any other floor, but something deep and instinctive inside him knows that the ground isn't supposed to be like that. He can't explain it, like most things. He's keeping track of the things he can't explain, and when he sees little flakes float through the air, he feels like he should shiver. But it's not snow.

Umbrella, ground, not-snow.

"I'm Taako," he repeats to himself with certainty. He takes a deep breath and moves forward. "And I have an umbrella."

As he drags the umbrella with him against the glass, it agrees. These are the facts.

It's not quite a fact, but the other thing he knows is that he needs to keep moving. There are some things, maybe, that you know without the words for them. Occasionally his stomach growls and reminds him that he's hungry, or his legs start to wobble and remind him that he's been walking for quite a long time, but he has a feeling he's used to this. Whenever he feels like stopping, he takes a short rest and then continues onward.

He does this until the sun starts setting, and then he's too tired.

"I'm Taako," he tells himself again like it's going to help him. Maybe he's just afraid he's going to forget - after all, he's forgotten everything else. "I'm an elf. I have an umbrella."

When he finally stops, it's because he can't keep going anymore. The world starts spinning and getting to be so far away, his entire body hurts with hunger, and words don't feel like his anymore. He tries to ignore it like everything else, but he can't do that forever, and the umbrella clatters to the ground first.

"No," he whimpers. As he hits the ground beside it, he claws frantically for it, grasping the handle with little fingers and pulling it as close as he can. "Please, don't go."

The next thing is not a sight at all. It's the feeling of hands on him, and then the feeling of being held in someone's arms. He can't open his eyes to see, but they're holding him gently, so he figures it might be okay. At that point, there's not a lot of thinking, either. "I'm Taako," he informs whatever's holding him. "I have an umbrella."

"I can see that, Taako," says a voice. "It's okay. You're okay."

"I'm an elf," he replies, dazed.

"Mhm." He's being held up close now like something is trying to keep him safe and warm, and he feels that they're moving. That's good. Taako knows they should keep moving. "Listen, Taako, my name's Angus, and this is June. We're going to go on a little ride, okay?"

"Why?" He asks. He thinks he asks. No one answers.

"Okay," he agrees after a moment.

"Okay," says Angus.

Another thing that Taako knows, that he's barely able to think of as he feels the figure stepping somewhere else, is that you don't normally trust or talk to strangers. This is another thing that, like an umbrella's uses, just seems like something to know and understand. Normally, he thinks, he might bristle against the touch of this person or feel afraid when they start to move.

"It might feel a little weird for a sec," says Angus. "You're okay, though."

But Taako only has one concern. "Don't take my umbrella."

"We won't," the man called Angus promises.

When Taako sleeps, he dreams of static.


	2. Chapter 1

When Taako wakes, there's only one thing on his mind.

"Where's my _umbrella?_ " He asks, starting out of his sleep like he's just had a nightmare.

"It's right beside you, sweet pea," a woman informs him. She is tall and her voice sounds slightly different from what he's used to, but Taako doesn't care. He only regards her with a suspicious eye before he spots the umbrella leaning right beside him and clings to it.

"Okay," he says. "Where's Angus?"

"He'll be right in in a second, hon," she assures him. "Do you remember me? I'm June. I was with the both of you."

"Oh," says Taako, still staring at the floor.

"Would you like some hot cocoa? It's mighty tasty."

"Angus," he says, holding the umbrella protectively as he eyes her. "Angus can make it for me."

"Okay, pumpkin. I'm sure he wouldn't mind that one bit."

She goes back to being quiet, and while she is, he looks around the room. He's on a couch with a blanket over him. There's not much else in the room except the lady June, wearing all yellow. The carpet is boring, but it's much better than black glass. He thinks about running, but wonders where he would go, and stays and waits for Angus.

He stares blankly ahead. When the door opens he nearly starts back but holds tighter to the umbrella instead. He doesn't know who this is that has just walked in, but he's very tall too. He has glasses. That's nerd stuff.

"Oh, there you are, Angus," says June. "This little peach was askin' all about you."

The man turns. "Oh, really?" He crouches down to meet Taako's level. "I'm so sorry I couldn't come in right away, buddy. Did you meet June? She's a nice lady."

"He did indeed."

"She's very yellow," he remarks, studying this man with glasses and a vest. He's startled again when Angus cracks a smile and a slight laugh, and he scoots back a little bit on the couch, eyes wide.

"Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to startle you. That's just very good, Taako. Her dress is very yellow."

"And she talks funny."

"Everyone talks like that where she's from."

"Oh," he says. There is not much more to say.

"Did she offer you some hot cocoa?"

"Yes," he admits. "But I want you to make it, not her."

"I think I can manage that." The man smiles. When Angus smiles it's very bright teeth, it's very warm, and that doesn't seem like a bad stranger. Doesn't mean that Taako trusts him, though. Not yet. There are a lot of things he doesn't know, but he knows better than that.

"Tia Tilla said one day _I_ can make the hot chocolate," he says, just so this man knows he's not all that special for being able to do it. "But I'm not allowed yet."

He doesn't remember who "Tia Tilla" is. It just comes out of his mouth as a fact about a person, and so it's true. Angus doesn't seem to mind this, though, and continues to look friendly. "Ah," he says. "Well, are you at least allowed to watch me make the hot cocoa? We can do that if you want."

Taako's eyes go wider. He doesn't know why. Something about this seems familiar enough that he bobs his head up and down somewhat cautiously, and he slips off the couch. The blanket is purple and fuzzy and trailing behind him like a cape, and he drags the umbrella with him as he goes.

"I hope you like it _extra_ chocolate-y."

"Don't worry," he reassures the man. "That's my favorite."

"Well, that's lucky for me, then, 'cuz that's just how I like to make it."

Taako keeps a vigilant eye on the back of the man's legs so he doesn't get separated from him, but he's also careful to notice the surroundings, the way they go out of one room and into another one. There aren't any other people on the way there, which suits him just fine right now, and the blanket and umbrella both make different dragging sounds on the carpet.

They find themselves in a kitchen, which isn't that unexpected. Taako knows that the only place you can make things like hot cocoa is in a kitchen, and even though this one is small it has all the makings of one. There's machines for heating things up and cooling things down, stray foodstuffs scattered here and there, and Angus takes a big round cylinder out of a cupboard that must be for the cocoa. When he opens it up, Taako knows for sure, and he darts over to take a deep whiff of the contents inside.

"Careful." Angus laughs and cracks a small smile, still holding the can out for him. "You're gonna get it all over your nose like that."

"Oh, I don't mind."

"Oh, boy, okay." Angus laughs an awful lot at him so far, but it's a soft sort of laughter. "Well, let me know when you're done, so I can start making the-"

As soon as Taako stops focusing on the can, something else snaps into place, and he realizes with a sort of terrible feeling that he can see his reflection in _this_ floor, too. "Um," he starts. No words for the knot twisting itself up in his stomach, not right now.

"Everything okay, Taako?"

"Um," he tries again. "I can see myself."

By now, Angus has set the can of cocoa down, and he's got his full attention on the little elf. "Your reflection, you mean?"

There it is, one of his only comforts from before: the same reflection of the same little elven boy blinking when he blinks. This time, though, it isn't quite so comforting. He wants to find the words for how and why. "The floor," he tries still. "It isn't s'posed to…"

Realization dawns on the man's face. "Oh, it's like the black glass, huh? In Phandalin…"

For the second time since he got here, Taako feels like running. He doesn't, though, because the man named Angus is by his side now, crouching down to meet his eyes again. "Taako, it's okay," he says. His eyes look like they mean it, but it's not enough. "It's not like that. The floor's just shiny, that's all. You're safe now. I promise."

Was he unsafe before? He nods his head slowly.

"Do you still want hot cocoa?"

"With marshmallows," he risks. He figures a place like this has that stuff.

"You got it."

For the next little while, Taako follows Angus faithfully around the little kitchen, and he's fascinated. It's got all the same steps it should, he thinks, even though he can't really remember ever seeing this before. He watches as Angus gets the milk out of the fridge and pours it into a mug, and he delights in the way it gets so chilly when it's open and goes back to normal when it's closed. He sees the way he dumps the cocoa in and is almost rapt.

"Okay, this is gonna be _really_ chocolate-y, but I need your help." At that, Taako snaps to attention, ears perking up. "Do you think you can help me stir it in?"

"Yes, I'm _best_ at that," Taako blurts out before he can help himself. "Just ask Tia."

"Oh, jeez," gasps Angus. "Well, if you're the best, then I _definitely_ need your help."

He won't let Angus lift him up to stir, even though he thinks that's how it usually goes. Instead, Angus places the mug carefully where he can reach, and he gleefully watches over it and grabs the spoon, stirring until it's just the right chocolate colors. When he's all done, Angus says he's done such a good job, and after it's all heated up he gets to tell Angus how many marshmallows. The result is a drink with marshmallows piled pretty high, but this seems pretty okay.

"Looks pretty good, Taako."

"Well, you can't have any." The tone of his own voice surprises him, and he feels the same protectiveness of his new cup of hot chocolate that he feels for the umbrella, only slightly different. "It's _mine._ "

For a moment, and for reasons he doesn't understand, Taako is worried this might get him in Trouble with the adult and takes a nervous step back. His eyes are still fierce, but he's trembling pretty awfully, and he struggles to stand up tall. But Angus isn't like whatever some part of his brain or body expects anyway, and his eyes are kind and soft.

"Hey, hey. It's okay, bud. I'm not going to take your hot chocolate."

The little elf stares him down, trying to determine whether or not he can really trust this stranger not to take all the hot and sugary drinks for himself, and after a second of this, he relaxes a bit. "Okay. That's okay, then."

"Do you want a snack while we're here?"

His stomach growls again, reminding him of the hunger so much it's like pain. He must look pretty miserable because Angus is quick to fetch him an apple and some crackers without asking again. After that, they head back to the couch, and the lady with the yellow dress is nowhere to be found. He drinks the hot chocolate before anything else, guzzling it down so fast he nearly burns his tongue.

"Careful, Taako," Angus says again. "You don't want to get sick."

There's no reply from the boy, but he does put the hot cocoa down for a second to start eating the crackers. He eats them with all the ferocity of someone who hasn't had anything to eat in what feels like a long, long time, and they go nicely with the hot drink. Angus is watching him do all this and not making a single move for his food, which is good because it's all his and he doesn't want anyone else to do anything with it.

There's a moment of quiet while Taako tries to let it all settle in his belly.

Angus tries to speak after a second. "Listen, Taako-"

Now he's going for the apple, and this time he actually pays a little bit of attention to the adult in front of him. It's a difficult task, though, because this apple is one of the sweetest and juiciest things he's ever tasted. That he can remember, anyway. "Mmf?"

As usual, the adult is smiling. "Taako, I know you've had a really long day."

"Mhm." He's trying to really care about the words coming out of this man's mouth, but he cares more about the fruit gnashing between his teeth.

"And I don't want to overwhelm you."

He's running out of apple and the hot chocolate is gone.

"But I have a question. Would you be okay to stay with me for a little while?"

The apple's gone, chewed down to its last bits. His stomach isn't hungry anymore, but now it's experiencing a fullness that's really different, and he almost feels sort of comfortable and cozy. The blanket's wrapped around him, the couch is pretty comfy, and his eyes are heavy even though he slept before. "Mmkay."

"Oh, that's good, Taako. I'm glad."

"Do you…" A yawn interrupts the rest of his sentence. "Do you, um… ...live here?"

"Hah, oh no. No, this is just where I work. You'll like where I live, though."

He yawns again. "Oh. Good. Okay."

Taako tries his best to stay awake, but pretty soon Angus has scooped him up gently again, and he feels too warm and nice to keep his eyes open. "Umbrella," he reminds the man and himself before he sticks his thumb in his mouth. "'Member to bring… ...umbrella, please."

"You got it, little guy," Angus reassures him softly. "We won't leave it, I promise."

He feels himself being carried and tries to hold on to the fabric of the man's shirt with his other hand. As they were before, the steps are careful, and Taako is still wondering why he hasn't flinched away. Maybe tomorrow, some distant part of him thinks. Most of him, by now, is starting to dream.

"Poor thing." The lady June's voice calls him. "He must be so exhausted."

"Yeah," Angus replies. "He conked out pretty much as soon as I fed him. He's been through a whole lot."

"Angus," June's voice is suddenly very serious. "Do you think he… ...lived there?"

"I dunno what else to assume at this point, June."

"Poor thing," she says again. "But you know, if they find out you have this boy and he has any ties to Phandalin-well, they're gonna have questions. They're gonna wanna have a word with you, Angus. With him."

Angus sighs. "I know."

"Everybody's just about beside themselves hoping you'll hop on this case anyway. If they find out we've been investigatin' it ourselves, I dunno how much more private we can be. Roswell's been itchin' to get us to operate out of Refuge anyway. This might give 'em even more cause to be worried about me. A whole town! Up in flames like that."

"I know."

"And once Mavis finds out, she'll definitely wanna know-"

"I _know,_ June." Angus is careful to whisper when Taako shifts and moans slightly. "But you know how Mavis is. She probably doesn't even want me on this case. She's great and all, but she's a lot more-"

"-of a hardass?"

"June! That's not funny." But he's laughing softly. "Look, it's nothing against her. She's great at what she does for sure, and I respect that. She probably doesn't want me getting involved 'cuz she needs some credit for herself, and that's okay. Operating strictly within the confines of the law is hard and deserves respect."

"...But you're still trying to beat her to the punch, huh."

"It's got nothing to _do_ with that, and you know it."

"Uh-huh."

"It's just that things over there move a little too slowly for me, June. That's all. You know how I am - I have to find answers. I can't let her box me out or limit my thinking just 'cuz I've attracted attention a few times."

"By being a world-famous genius?"

He sputters. "I-If you wanna put it like that, I mean-I'm not really a _genius._ The clues are all already there. I just find 'em first."

"Calm down, Mister Hotshot Detective. We've all seen your interviews in the papers."

"R-Right, um." He lowers his voice even more. "Anyway, right now it's mostly about the kid. He needs time to adjust first, you know? I don't want people like Mavis to get a hold of him and start asking him difficult questions 'til he's ready. And he's not. Not yet. Not by a _long_ shot."

"So you're gonna take him home, then?"

"Well, for now, I guess so. I-I just thought, you already have your hands full, and he needs to go _somewhere_ and he seems to like me, and I know what it's like to be…"

"I know, Angus. You don't have to explain. You'll do just fine."

"Thanks, Junebug. It means a lot."

"Aw, don't mention it. And don't worry, okay? I won't tell anyone about this."

"Not even Roswell?"

"Nope. My lips are sealed."

"Thank god. Um… okay. Guess I'll... ...see you tomorrow, then."

"You know it." Now June is whispering so soft, up close to Taako's ear. "And I'll see you tomorrow _too,_ sugarplum. Sweet dreams."

Maybe, at one point, he did have dreams. He can't remember anymore.

For now, Taako just drifts into another staticky slumber, and it isn't sweet at all.


End file.
